Wing construction for flying-machines



T. J. KEHOE.

- Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

smbamfoz l/romas 1 Ae/rae T. J. KEHOE. WING CONSTRUCTION FOR FLYING MACHINES.

I APPLICATION FILED NOV-221 19']. 1,349,770. Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

15 IT mthe wings.

UNITED STATES. PATENT ounce.

THOMAS J. KEHOE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE WILLYS-OVERLAND \COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

WING CONSTRUCTION FOR FLYING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. 1

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Application filed November 22, 1917. Serial No. 203,320.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. KEHOE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wing Constructions,

provide a sheet metal construction, which will have great strength in proportion to its weight.

A further object of my invention is to provide improved means for bracing the wings of a flying machine, which does away with the necessity for the frame work usually employed in the present construction of flying machines, and permits the attachment of the braces or struts directly to Further objects, and objects relating to economies of manufacture and details of construction, will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow.

I accomplish the objects of my inventlon by the devices and means described in the following specification. My invention is clearly defined and pointed out in the appended claims.

A structure constituting -a preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which- 1 Figure I is a perspective View of a flying machine embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a detail, fragmentary, sectional View, taken substantially on the ine II-II of Fig. I. i

Fig. III is a fragmentary, sectional view, taken substantially on the line III-III of Figs. I and II.

Fig. IV is a detail, perspective view, showing the members of the sheet metal .wing construction before they are assembled to ether.

Fig. is a fragmentary, detail, sectional view, taken substantially on the line VV of Flg. I.

members.

Fig. VI is a view similar to Fig. II, but showingfa straight section, and

Fig. II is a diagrammatic View, similar to Figs. II and VI, but showing a wing construction in which the central part has a greater thickness than the edges.-

In the drawings, similar, reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views, and the sectional views are taken looking in the direction of the little arrows at the ends of thesection lines.

Considering the numbered parts of the drawing, I have shown a flying machine comprising the fuselage 10, the running gear 11, propeller 12, and the wings or. planes 13 and 14. The wings 13 and Y14 are braced by the struts 15 and the guy wires 16 in the usual manner. Heretofore, the usual practice in the construction of flying machines has been to make the wings of fabric of a suitable nature, which was stretched over a frame work, which frame work has braced by means of the struts and guy wires. I have devised a form of sheet metal construction, whereby these wings may be made out of sheet metal and the wings braced relative to each other by means of struts which are directly connected to the wings themselves.

This sheet metal wing construction is made up of a plurality of channel-shaped sheet metal members, each of which comprises a base portion 17 and the side walls 18. The channel-shaped sheet metal members are corrugated, transversely thereof, that is, the corrugations extend transversely relative to the length of the channel-shaped These channel-shaped members are assembled with reference to each other in a telescoped relation, with the base 17 of one member disposed between the free edges of the side walls 18 of the next adjacent member, and the side walls of the adjacent members are connected together at the points where they touch, when telescoped relative to each other, by means of spotwelds 19, or in any other suitable manner. The channel-shaped member which is" disposed at the forward ed e of the wing is provided with a tapered ase 20, as shown in Fig. II, which will 've the planes a wedge-shaped forward e ge. The channelmember which is disposed at the rear edge.

ofthe wing, has the free edges of its side walls 18 bent toward each other and dis posedin contact with each other, and these may preferably be secured together as at 21, so that the channel-shaped member forming the rear edge of the wing is entirely closed, as shown in Fig. II of the drawing. Fig. III shows a section through one of these channel-shaped members, and, from this view, it is apparent that the portions of the side walls 18 at the ends of the wing are "bent toward each other and connected, as shown at 22, so as to close the wing construction at the ends thereof.

- The struts 15 are provided with reduced the wing construction now employed. The plurality of channel-shaped members telescoped relative to each other and connected to ether, gives a substantially cellular sheet metal construction, comprising upper and lower walls connected by longitudinally extending partition walls and the rigidity of this sheet metal construction is greatly increased by the corrugation extending transversely thereof.

I am aware that the particular embodiment of my invention, which I have here shown and described, is susceptible of conends 25, which extend through openings2'6, provided in the side walls 18 of the channelshaped members making up the wing construction, and a nut 23 is threaded on to the strut 15, below the lower wall of the wing, as shown in Fig. V of the drawing, a spring member 24 being interposed between the nut 23 and the lower wall of the wing. A sleeve 27 is disposed within the wing, between the upper and lower walls thereof, around the reduced portion 25 of the strut 15, and serves to space the upper and lower walls of the wing apart at the points where the strut goes through the wing. ,A nut 28 is threaded on the end of the strut 15 and a spring washer 29 may be provided betweensaid nut 28 and the upper wall of the wing. By this means the struts 15 are directly connected to the wing construction and the necessity of a frame work, to which the struts are attached, is eliminated. This forms a very strong and rigid connection between the bracing structure and the wings.

Fig. VI is a view similar to Fig. II, but shows a section of this sheet metal construction, which is perfectly flat, as distinguished from the sheet metal wing construction shown in Fig. II, in which the curvature of the wing is effected by a slight angular displacement of the sheet metal channel shaped members relative to each other, so that a curved efiect is given to the whole wing construction. Fig. VII is a view similar to Figs. II and VI, but largely diagrammatic and showing a construction in which the central channel-shaped members have bases 17, which are wider than the bases 17 of the channel-shaped members at the edges of the wing, so that a wing is formed, which is of greater thickness at the center than at the ed es.

%he problem which confronts one in endeavoring to employ sheet'metal in place ofthe fabric now usually employed for the wings of flying machines, is to give suffi-- cient rigidity to the sheet metal without increasing the weight so far that it cannot be employed. I have found that by'the sheet metal construction, which I have described in this specification, a construction is obtained, which has all the rigidityneeded and s of even less weight for a given area than siderable variation without departing from the spirit thereof, and, therefore, I desire to claimmy invention broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A flying machine provided with wings of sheet metal construction formed of a plurality of channel-shaped members telescoped with reference to each other and secured together, providing passages extending longitudinally of the wing structure within the same.

2. A flying machine provided with wings formed of sheet metal construction, comprising a plurality of channel-shaped sheet metal members telescoped with reference to each other, the base of one member being rigidly secured to the forward edges of the next adjacent member, whereby a plurality of channels are provided in said wing construction.

extending longitudinally thereof.

3. A flying machine provided with wings formed of sheet metal construction, comprising a plurality of corrugated channel-shaped sheet metal members telescoped with reference to each other and rigidly connected together, providing channels within said win structure extending longitudinally thereof.

42- A flying machine provided with wings of sheet metalconstruction, comprising a plurality of channel-shaped sheet metal members, corrugated transversely thereof, said members being telescoped with reference to each other and rigidly connected together, forming upper and lower walls and partition walls connecting said upper and lower walls and extending longitudinally of the wing.

5. A flying machine provided with wings of sheet metal construction, comprising upper and lower walls formed of longitudinally extending sections rigidly connected together and spaced partition walls extending longitudinally of the wing and connecting said upper and lower walls.

6. A flying machine provided with wings of sheet metal construction, comprising corrugated upper and lower walls formed of longitudinally extending sections and spaced corrugated partition walls connect ing said upper and lower walls and extending longitudinally of the wing, said corrugations extending transversely of the wing.

7 A flying machine provided with wings of sheet metal construction, comprising a plurality of corrugated channel-shaped sheet metal members, slightly telescoped relative to each other, with the base of each memberdisposed within the forward portion of the next adjacent member and rigidly secured thereto.

8. flying machine provided with wings of sheet metal construction, each comprising a plurality of corrugated channelshaped members slightly telescoped relative to each other, with the base of each member disposed within the mouth of the next adjacent member and rigidly connected thereto, said sheet metal channel-shaped members extending longitudinally of the wing and said corrugations extending transversely of the wing.

9. A flying machine provided with wings of sheet metal construction, each comprising a plurality of channel-shaped members slightly telescoped relative to each other, with the base of each member disposed in the mouth of the next adjacent member and rigidly connected thereto, said channelshaped members extending longitudinally of the wing; and struts for bracing said wings extending through said wings and rigidly connected thereto.

10. A flying machine provided with wings of sheet metal construction, each comprising a plurality of channel-shaped members extending longitudinally of the wings and telescoped relative to each other, the side walls of each channel-shaped member being welded to the side Walls of the next adjacent member, the channel-shaped member at the forward edge of the wing being provided with a tapered pase.

. 11. A flying machine provided with wings of sheet metal construction, each comprising a plurality of channel-shaped members extending longitudinally of the wing and telescoped relative to each other, the side walls of each channel-shaped member being rigidly secured to the side walls of the next adjacent member, the free edges of the channel-shaped member at the rear edge of the wing being bent toward each other and secured together.

12. A sheet metal construction comprising a plurality of channel-shaped members,

each comprising a base and side walls, said channel-shaped members being disposed in telescoped relation to each other with the base of each member disposed between the free edges of the side walls of the next adjacent member; and means for securing together the side walls of said members.

13. A sheet metal construction comprisinga plurality of channel-shaped sheet metal members, each having a base and side walls and being corrugated transversely thereof, said channel-shaped members being telescoped relative to each other with the base of each member disposed between the free edges of the side walls of the next adjacent member, the side walls of said members being spot-welded together.

14. A sheet metal construction comprising a plurality of sheet metal channelshaped members, each having a base and side walls, said channelshaped members being provided with transverse corrugations, and said channel-shaped members being assembled and connected together with the base of each member disposed between the free edges of the side walls of the next adjacent member, the side walls of said members being spot-welded together.

15. A flying machine provided with a pair of wings of sheet metal construction, each comprising spaced upper and lower walls and partition walls extending longitudinally ofthe wing between said upper and lower walls, said partition walls being spaced apart; struts for bracing said wings. having their ends extending through said wings and each provided with sleeves disposed between the upper and lower walls of the wings; and means for fixing said struts relative to said wings.

16. A flying machine provided with wings-formed of sheet metal construction, comprising a plurality of channel-shaped sheet metal members extending longitudinally of the wings and having the corresponding end edges of the channel-shaped members bent toward each other and secured together.

17. A flying machine provided with wings formed of sheet metal construction, comprising a plurality of channel-shaped corrugated sheet metal members extending longitudinally of the wings and having their corresponding end edges bent toward each other and secured together.

In testimony whereof I afiix m THOMAS J signature. EHOE. 

